Summary

Michael Douglas wishes Hank Pym died in his latest Ant-Man movie, suggesting he should have had a dramatic death in
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Douglas expressed doubts about appearing in
Ant-Man 4
if it had been made, questioning his involvement in the future of the franchise.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has faced struggles since
Avengers: Endgame
, with some weak entries like
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Michael Douglas wishes his character died in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Douglas played Hank Pym, the inventor of the Pym Particle and former Ant-Man, who hired Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) to take over as the titular hero. The actor played a major part in all three Ant-Man movies, appeared in Avengers: Endgame, and voiced Pym in two episodes of the Disney+ series What If…? Hank Pym survived his run-in with Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but Douglas believes the character’s time in the franchise should have ended terminally in the movie.

Appearing on The View (via Entertainment Weekly) to promote his upcoming Apple TV series Franklin, Douglas discussed his thoughts on Hank Pym’s future. In the interview, Douglas said, “I said I’d like to have a serious [death], with all these great special effects. There’s got to be some fantastic way where I can shrink to an ant size and explode, whatever it is. I want to use all those effects.” Ant-Man 4 has reportedly been canned by Disney, but Douglas through doubt on his involvement if it had gone ahead. “Now, I don’t think I’m going to show up.”

This isn’t the first time Michael Douglas has stated he wants Hank Pym to die in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Speaking to Backstory Magazine in 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness revealed they were “going to kill Hank at one point.” Loveness then went on to describe how Hank Pym would continue to survive in the MCU, saying the idea was that “His consciousness was going to live on through the ants, and he was going to be like mentally controlling them.”

The MCU Is Still Struggling After Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been struggling considerably following Avengers: Endgame, with the exception of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies. A string of weak entries in the franchise, including Thor: Love and Thunder, and Disney+ shows such as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law have all been slated by fans and critics. However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is generally regarded as one of the MCU’s lowest points.

A weak script, bad CGI (the result of Disney’s reported mistreatment of VFX artists), and questionable character design (naked MODOK) were just some of the problems audiences had with Quantumania. The bad press continued as several abuse allegations were leveled at Kang actor Jonathan Majors, who was recently sentenced. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 managed to put the MCU back on track, but the poor performances of the Secret Invasion series, and The Marvels proved that one MCU hit does not forgive several misses.

Related This Major MCU Mess Hasn’t Been Addressed Since the Eternals Movie There’s something big sticking out of the Indian Ocean. Why isn’t anyone in the MCU talking about it?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking a much-needed break this year. Stepping back from the days of releasing three or more movies a year, Deadpool & Wolverine will be the only MCU movie to release in 2024. The project is the most anticipated MCU movie in years, thanks to it being Deadpool’s first appearance in this branch of the franchise, and Hugh Jackman reprising the role of Wolverine one more time. All other upcoming projects, including Mahershala Ali’s Blade, and Daredevil: Born Again have all been pushed back to 2025 and beyond.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
is available to stream on Disney+ with the rest of Marvel Studio’s MCU content.